Hurricane Fiona has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it advanced on Puerto Rico threatening to batter the island with “historic” rains, severe winds, and mudslides.
Forecasters say that isolated areas of the island could receive up to 25 inches of rainfall with winds of up to 80mph when it makes landfall later on Sunday.
Hurricane Fiona was still 50 miles south of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Sunday morning, and was moving northwest at 8mph.
“It’s time to take action and be concerned,” said Nino Correa, Puerto Rico’s emergency management commissioner.
Ahead of Hurricane Fiona’s arrival in Puerto Rico, Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico. This allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to mobilise equipment and resources in the region.
Officials say that there are already 340,000 customers without power on the island, with more expected as the storm approaches.
Fiona is expected to hit just two days before the anniversary of Category 4 Hurricane Maria in 2017, which killed almost 3,000 people and destroyed the island’s power network.
Fiona became a tropical storm over the Atlantic on Wednesday and entered the eastern Caribbean on Friday.
